There was once a time I was rapidly losing hope

There was once a time I was rapidly losing hope.

It felt as though the struggle would never give way to peace and contentment. When I felt like I couldn’t take anymore, I finally let go and submitted to the release that comes when you surrender. Through surrender, I allowed myself the opportunity to indulge in the quiet reflection that only stillness allows — to just be. In the stillness, my grief surfaced and I allowed myself to honor what I had lost by mourning with dignity and reverence. Grief slowly began to unburden my heart, which provided a clear perspective through which to evaluate myself with truth and honesty. Armed with these truths, I became curious as to why I had chosen to deny reality and tolerate what led to all the struggle in the first place. Forgiveness is the trickiest practice to master, for while you may be challenged to forgive an offender, my freedom came from having the courage to forgive myself. This freedom allowed me to regain a bit of who I am called to be and to embrace the gift of resilience. I reflected on the landscape of my journey and found myself revived, restored, and full of joy.

The steps I took on my own journey of Hope became the eight Practices of Living Hope: Surrender, Stillness, Grief, Honesty, Curiosity, Forgiveness, Resilience, and Joy. And as the video illustrates, you see that Hope is a process, with each Practice working together and leading into another, until you achieve the peace and the Hope you desire.

This is an invitation to begin the practice of actively and intentionally choosing to face adversity and uncertainty being confident of what you hope for and convicted of what you do not see. This is an invitation to practice Hope.

In the coming days, we will be sharing more about each individual Practice and how to implement each one in your own life. Additionally, we will share stories that illuminate each Practice — stories that will inspire you and move you to actively practice and pursue Hope. And if you have your own story of Hope to share, very soon we will ask you to share it on our website so you can inspire others who may need a word of encouragement.

We are excited to walk with you on this journey of Hope, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.